BRATTLEBORO — A winter shelter for the homeless will open today, a month earlier than usual.

Lucie Fortier, who runs the daytime shelter at the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center, said when she arrives at 8 a.m. each day there is usually a crowd of up to 10 people waiting to get in.

The Drop In Center also sponsors the overnight winter shelter in the Baptist Church on Main Street in Brattleboro. It’s funded by donations and a state grant and it’s run by volunteers, social service agencies and the local interfaith clergy group.